A GLIMPSE OF PENANG’S GLORY DAYS
If there’s a better way for me to describe Penang, it’s definitely whimsical.
An island off the Malay Peninsula, Penang is known as the Pearl of the Orient. A fusion of old and new, it gets its charming personality from the different mixtures of culture, race and rich history combined with modernization of time.
As soon as you arrive in Penang from the airport, you can take a taxi to the city of George Town. There, I stayed at Hotel Jen Penang, a chain run by Shangri-La hotels, located at the heart of the city, walking distance to the heritage sites. Cost per night was around P4,000.
George Town is considered to be one of the oldest cities in Malaysia. Penang for me is a food, art and coffee lover’s paradise. Named after King George III, walking around the streets of George Town is like walking through time. The rich history and culture is palpable through its architecture. Old buildings and houses were preserved and served as witnesses to the past and present. If there is an opportunity to explore a city via hop-on and hop-off bus, take it first, to get an overview of the whole city.
Another well-known place in Penang is Gurney Drive, the most famous seafront hawker center in Penang, featured
frequently in cooking and travel shows. One of the best food specialties sold in the hawker center is the ever famous char koay teow noodles, literally “stir fried rice cake strips”, it is a national favorite in Malaysia. A must-try for coffee lovers is the Penang white coffee, a rich, robust and creamy concoction that is to die for.
Penang Hill is also a mustsee, the first and oldest colonial hill station in Southeast Asia. Near Penang Hill is Kek Lok Si Temple, said to be the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia. Another is Fort Cornwallis, once an impressive star-shaped bastion intended as a defensive structure against pirates.
Strolling around Armenian street in George Town, you will find murals and street art by Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic, among them, Little
Children on a Bicycle. Another mural on Ah Quee Street is Boy
on a Bike. A cultural favorite of mine is the Penang Peranakan Mansion, a museum dedicated to Penang’s Peranakan Heritage (descendants of Chinese immigrants). The museum is called the “green mansion” and contains thousands of antiques, collectibles and artifacts. This mint green colored mansion is the most stunning restored residence in George Town. Walls are carved and often painted with gold leaf, while the wood furniture is majestic, inlaid with mother of pearl.
The Blue Mansion is also a famous landmark, commissioned by Cheong Fatt Tze, a Hakka merchant trader known to be the “Rockefeller of the East”.
A to-do in Penang is to swim at Batu Ferringhi. Consisting of a long stretch of white sandy beach, one cannot resist its crystal clear waters. I was lucky to have stayed at Jen Penang as they had a free shuttle service to and from Golden Sands Resort by Shangri-La, a sister property located at Batu Ferringhi. Use of facilities was free for Hotel Jen guests.
Famous also is the Batu Ferringhi night market, where trinkets, art works, clothing are abundant. A hawker center thrives with cuisines from Indian, Chinese to Western food.
Penang has always been featured in TV shows and magazines, but I never imagined myself strolling its streets and basking in the richness of its history. Now it has become a reality for me that the past can also be a huge part of one’s future. Penang has given me a glimpse of its glory days, and how the government and its people try to preserve its magnificence. It is a must-see destination, a beautiful and whimsical place. ‘Til my next adventure!